Device for preventing vapor from passing the expansion-valves of refrigerating-machines.



No. 731,824. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. G. T. VOORHEES.

DEVICE FOB. PREVENTING VAPOR FROM PASSINGTHE EXPANSION VALVES 0F REFRIGERATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. so. 1901.

N0 MODEL.

l l I'ullIh,

WITMESSES.`

mvENToR AMI/*Tm* `used in connection with PATENT Patented June 23, 1903.

QEEICE,

GARDNER T. VOORHEES, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FQR PREVENTlNG VAPOR FROM PASSING THE EXPANSION-VALVES OF REFRlGERATlNG-MACHINES.

`SIDE(IIIFICAIIION forming part of Letters Patent N O. 731,824, dated June 23, 19023. Application led August 80, 1901. Serial No.1'731814. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARDNER T. VooRHEEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Preventing Vapor from Passing the Expansion- Valves of Refrigeratingif-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The drawing shows a diagrammatic view of a refrigerating-machine provided with. my invention. It is a well-known fact that ammonia gas or vapor is very likely to be formed in what is known as the liquid-pipe connecting the condenser and cooler of a refrigerating-machine, the formation of said gas being due, for example, to one or more of such causes, as the exposure of the liquid -pipe to a temperature hotter than that of the condenser water, to a lower pressure in the liquid-pipe t than that in the condenser, or to heat generated by friction due to the flow of the ammonia in the liquid-pipe. Should said gas or vapor y pass the expansion-valve of the machine into the cooler, it is equallyclear that the am monia gas or vapor would not only do practically no cooling, thus greatly reducing the capacity of the machine, but would require' just as much work on the part of the compressor (or generator, in case they are em- Now it is the principal object of myinvention to machine.

Said invention consists inprovidingmeans (such, for example, as an escape-pipe) so located in relation to the condenser and the expansion-valve of the machine that anyammomia-gas thatpmay be in the liquid-pipe will return through said escape-pipe to a. condenser rather than pass through the eXpansion-valve to the cooler.

Said invention further consists in providing apparatus `whereby an expansion-valve located above the condenser.

In the d rawingillustrating the principle of my invention and the best mode now known provide means whereby nothing but t refrigerant liquid free from vapor or gas can i pass the expansion-valve of a refrigeratingi said means may be to me of applying that principle I have shown other below. For the sake of clearness I'will' first describe that construction in which the expansion-valve is below the condenser, so that the ammonia by reason of its own head flows to theeXpansion-valve.

A is acondenser,and Bagastrap. A liquidpipe l 2 3 4 5 leads from the bottom of the condenser A downwardly to the gas-trap B, whose Vflow area is larger than that of said liquid-pipe, while from the top of the gastrap B an escape-pipe F 7 23 leads upwardly and opens into the condenser. A pipe 17 18 I9, provided with an expansion-valve o, connects the bottom of the gas-trap B with a cooler D, that has a brine-coil d d' passing through it. A compressor E is in communication with the cooler D by means of a pipe 2O 2l and with the condenser A by a pipe 22 23. The operation of, this form of my invention is as follows: The ammonia-gas (indicated in the drawing by dots) is delivered by the compressor E to the condenser A and is here condensed by the cooling-coil a a'. The

liquid ammonia thereby formed collects in' the bottom of the condenser or its equivalent and flows out of the condenser A and then downwardly through the liquid-pipe l 2 3 et 5, where the liquid ammonia is likely' to bei come partially vaporized by any of the abovementioned causes. The liquid and any vapor there may be are then delivered to the gas-trap B, which by reason of its having a largerl fiow area than the liquid-pipe suciently stops the flow of the liquid and gaseous ammonia to permit thel latter to rise through the escape-pipe 6 7 and recondense inthe cooler atmosphere in the condenser A. All the ammonia gas or vapor that entered the gas-trap B having returned by the escape-pipe 6 7 to the condenser A, only liquid ammonia enters the pipe 17, goes by the eX- pansion-valve V, and en ters by means yof pipe 18 19 the cooler D, where it is evaporated by the heat of the brine-coil d d and converted to gas, which Hows through pipe 2021. to the compressor E, The latter then to the condenser A, and the tions is thus completed.

forces the gas cycle 4of opera- 1ts application to a refrigerating-machine in IOO The operationof my device now being clear, I will proceed to describe the embodiment of my entire invention in an apparatus shown in the drawing above that portion thereof already described, said apparatus having its expansion-valve located at a level above that of the condenser A.

yA pipe 1 2 8 9 leads upwardly from the bottom of the condenser A and opens into an auxiliary condenser C, provided with a cooling-coil c c.. A liquid pipe 10 11 12 13 forms communication between the condenser C and a gas-trap B', whose flow area is larger than that of the pipe 10 11. From the top of the gas-trap extends an escapepipe 14 15 16, which opens into the auxiliary condenser C above the level of the liquid ammonia therein. A pipe 24 25 connects the bottom of the gas-trap B with a cooler D and is provided with an expansion-valve V. The cooler D' has a brine-coil d2 Z3 and also a pipe 26 27, which opens into pipe 21. The temperatureand pressure in the auxiliary condenser C being less than in the condenser A, the liquid ammonia rises through the pipe 2 8 9 and iiows into the auxiliary condenser C, where any ammonia-gas that may have been formed in the pipe 2 8 -9 is condensed. The liquid ammonia now ows through the pipe 10 l1 and passes into the gas-trap B. It' for any reason ammonia-gas enters the trap, it immediately rises in the pipe 14 l5 16 and is condensed in the auxiliary condenser C. It will here be noticed that the auxiliary condenser C, the gas-trap B', and their connections are like the condenser A, the gas-trap B, and their connections. The liquid ammonia in the gas-trap B then flows through pipe 2-t, past the expansion-valve V', and into the cooler D, where it is vaporized by the heat given olf by the brine-coil. The resulting gas passes off through pipe 26 27 to the compresser, which in turn forces it along through pipe 22 23 into the condenser A.

It will be plain to all skilled in the .art to which this invention appertains that my invention may be embodied in many different forms without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not limit myself to any particular form of cooler, compressor, or condenser.

In short, my invention consists in means whereby the gas of a refrigerant liquid about to pass an expansion-valve is allowed to escape from rather than flow with said liquid through said valve.

1. In a refrigeraiing apparatus employing a liquid which is alternately vaporized and condensed, the combination with a condenser, of a cooler; a liquid-pipe leading from the condenser to the cooler; a throttling device in said liquid-pipe; a trap device.` located in said liquid-pipe andY between the condenser and said throttling device; a gas and vapor pipe communication leading directly from said cooler to said condenser; means of compression located in said gas or vapor pipe to Araise the pressure of the gas or vapor from the cooler, from that of the cooler to that of the condenser; and a pipe in direct and open communication between said trap and that portion of said gas and vapor pipe, on the compression side of said means of compression. v

2. In a refrigerating apparatus employing a liquid which is alternately vaporized and condensed, the combination with a condenser; of a cooler; a liquid-pipe leading from the condenser to the cooler; a throttling device in said liquid-pipe; a trap device, located in said liquid-pipe, and between the condenser and said throttling device; gas and vapor pipe communication between said cooler and said condenser; means of compression, located in said gas or vapor pipe, to raise the pressure of the gas or vapor from the cooler, from that of the cooler to that of the condenser; a pipe, independent of the said liquid-pipe from the condenser to the cooler, leading from the trap device, and in direct communication with the compression side of said means of compression.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a condenser; an auxiliary condenser; a pipe connecting said condensers; a gas-trap; a pipe communicating between said auxiliary condenser and said gas-trap; a pipe leading from the top of said gas-trap and opening into said auxiliary condenser above the level of the refrigerant liquid therein; a cooler; a pipe leading from the bottom of said gas-trap to said cooler; a throttling device in said pipe and located above the level of the condenser, but below that of the auxiliary condenser; means to convey the refrigerant vapor from the cooler to the condenser; and means to raise the vapor-pressure from the cooler, to that required in the condenser.

4. The combination of a condenser; a gastrap below said condenser; a liquid-pipe communicating between said condenser and said gas-trap; an escape-pipe leading from the gas-trap and opening into the condenser; and a throttling device in a pipe leading from the gas-trap to a cooler; said throttlingdevice being below said condenser.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GARDNER-T. VOORI-IEES. Witnesses:

E. A. ALLEN, CHARLES F. RICHARDSON.

IIO 

